ENERGY STAR Labeled Building Profile

U.S. Custom House
Second & Chestnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19106
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The U.S. Custom House in Philadelphia, owned and operated by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), has the distinction of being the first building in Pennsylvania to earn an ENERGY STAR label.  

The U.S. Custom House, which rises 17 stories high from its base to its lantern, occupies an entire city block in the heart of Philadelphia's Historic District.  The facility was built in 1934 by Ritter & Shay under the Works Progress Administration, a massive federal unemployment relief program.  

In the early 1990s, GSA completed an extensive restoration and renovation of the facility.  The project encompassed conservation of the original surface finishes, ensuring of access for the disabled, and energy-efficiency upgrading of the mechanical and lighting systems.  Included in these renovations were the installation of T-8 lamps and electronic ballasts, high efficiency chillers, high efficiency motors, resealing of windows, high efficiency dual fuel boilers, and the installation of a computerized building management system.  These energy upgrades have reduced energy usage in the facility by 14 percent and have enabled GSA to realize a cost savings for the federal government, and ultimately the American taxpayer, of more than $390,000 annually.

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The narrative information in this profile has been provided by GSA or a representative of this facility.

* Building owners and managers may periodically change. The owner/manager displayed reflects information known at the time the most recent label was earned.